Monkeys Taught to Control Robots. Humanity On the Run.

In a staggering breech of public interest, U of Pitt researchers have taught a couple of rhesus macaque monkeys to control a robotic prosthesis with their mind. No word on when the lab fires will be extinguished and the rampaging robo-monkeys will be defeated.

Two monkeys have managed to use brain power to control a robotic arm to feed themselves. The feat marks the first time a brain-controlled prosthetic limb has been wielded to perform a practical task.

Previous demonstrations in monkeys and humans have tapped into the brain to control computer cursors and virtual worlds, and even to clench a robot hand. But complicated physical activities like eating are “a completely different ball game”, says Andrew Schwarz, a neurological engineer at the University of Pittsburgh…

Yeah, right. Those robo-monkeys will be running the Pentagon within days.